The Babylon 5 Station

Originally written by J. Michael Straczynski on GEnie

Babylon 5
is a space station in neutral space more or less central to all
five of the different alliances, human or alien. To get to one or the
other, you have to pass through this sector of space. Thus, Babylon 5 has
been created as a sort of port-of-call for travellers, statesmen,
emissaries, traders, refugees and other, less savory characters.

Five miles long, Babylon 5 is divided into
separate, discrete sections that rotate at differing speeds to provide
different gravities to accommodate those who come to the station. It
boasts the latest in defensive weaponry from Earthforce R&D, enough to
hold off a large Centauri war cruiser -- a capability, unfortunately, which
has been put to the test. Of course, even the best weapons Earth has to offer
would be useless if the Shadows attacked. Luckily, the station isn't alone.

Babylon 5 is in orbit around the third planet in the Epsilon Eridani star
system, a world which was until recently believed to be barren, devoid of life.
In 2258, however, the remains of an ancient civilization were discovered
buried deep beneath the planet's surface: a massive, planetwide machine of
awesome offensive power. It is currently under the control of Delenn's
mentor, Draal, who took over from the former guardian in
"A Voice in the Wilderness, part 2."
Draal has placed the planet's power at the disposal of Captain Sheridan, for
use in the battle against the Shadows.

As for locations inside B-5...we've designed a number of very different
looks and locations to give it a non-claustrophobic feel. By virtue of
being patterned physically after the work of such scientists as Gerard K.
O'Neill, the absolute center of the elongated station (which revolves to
provide gravity) is a sort of hollow-world look, with fields and hydroponic
gardens along the 360-degree circular section (which is about a half-mile,
or a mile across)...and as you get closer to the absolute center, where a
transport tube cuts from one end of the station to the other, naturally you
get less and less gravity until you can literally hang suspended. This
area is known as the Garden.

And there are living areas designed to accommodate different environments
and atmospheres and conditions. The alien sectors are off-limits to humans
without protection (breathing gear and other measures). Similarly, a heavy
CO2 breather or methane breather would have to wear an encounter suit to
travel among the humans on the station.

A map of the station.

Some sections of the station, called the Downbelow, are inhabited by Babylon
5's equivalent of the homeless, called Lurkers. Most of them are people who
came to the station looking for work; they didn't find any, and can't afford
passage offstation. No government is willing to pay to ship them home (and
in some cases, they wouldn't even be allowed home) so they languish on
the station. The Downbelow is a center of criminal activity on B5, though by
no means is crime confined to that area.

Finally, on sets and the "look" of the place...again, there will be a mix.
Parts of the station are still under construction, and parts are finished.
Some sections are in daylight, some in night, alternating by level and
sector. On the very outer ring, the viewports are in panels ON THE FLOOR,
so you're looking down and out into space, revolving beneath your feet.
Some places will be beautifully finished and neat, and other areas will be
very rough and in-the-works. (Remember, B5 only recently went operational,
and thus there are still some parts being constructed.)

In talking with our production designer, John Iacovelli, the one term he
kept using, over and over, was "travelogue." We should get a real sense in
this show of a world turned inside out...with varying textures, lighting,
angles, and a mix of looks. There will not be a homogeneous
look to
this place, if I or Iacovelli have anything to say about it. You can walk
from the carefully and neatly appointed Council Chamber room, to the high-
tech control room, to a section of the station under construction and
exposing beams and wires, to the dark and noire-looking nightclub, to the
Garden, to....